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Money / Living on a Budget

Shrinkflation

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A hand measures a tortilla on a plate with a tape measure on the left; on the right are two open Listerine Cool Mint pocket pack cases and their contents, highlighting examples of shrinkflation products, displayed below on a wooden surface.
Hopeful-Bit6187/reddit/nick_minieri/reddit

You’ve probably heard of shrinkflation at this point, it’s almost everywhere. You probably won’t notice, but when you get home, the package of your child’s favorite cereal could look smaller to you or your beloved coffee doesn’t last as long, and you have to go to the supermarket more often. Reddit users shared their craziest examples of shrinkflation in r/shrinkflation for all of us to see.

Whole Milk Low Moisture Mozzarella Cheese

A block of Great Value whole milk low-moisture mozzarella cheese, often mentioned among shrinkflation products, sits on a digital kitchen scale displaying 15.4 ounces. The scale rests on a marble countertop.
saltylimesandadollar / reddit

If the packaging says it’s 16 ounces, there shouldn’t be less than that in the product, right? Well, that’s what we all thought. This cheese actually has less than 0.6 ounces than it says. It shouldn’t be legal to do this. That’s one jam and cheese sandwich less that you got there.

8 Inches Tortilla

A hand holds a tape measure across a flour tortilla on a white plate with a yellow rim, measuring its diameter at just over 6 inches—highlighting how shrinkflation products are changing the size of everyday foods. The plate is on a black stovetop.
Hopeful-Bit6187 / reddit

You can’t even trust a tortilla, something so delicious that saves us from cooking elaborate meals every day. We don’t understand why this user had a measuring tape, but honestly, it’s a good thing they made that decision. The tortilla was labeled 8 inches on the packaging, but we can see that’s not the case: it’s only 7 inches. What else are they lying yo us about?

Maltesers

Four images of Maltesers Party Bucket containers. The left two buckets are labeled 465g, while the right two are labeled 520g. All containers are red with a Maltesers logo and images of chocolate-covered candy.
ageless-vermin / reddit

When you try Maltesers, you’ll taste the milk chocolate and malted milk inside, along with its crispy and airy texture. This treat, originally from the UK, has become incredibly popular in the United States thanks to its easy-to-eat nature. At first glance, they look the same, but the actual weight has decreased from 520 grams to 465 grams. Don’t believe us? Check out the picture.

Feline Pine Original

Two green bags of Feline Pine Platinum cat litter with baking soda sit on a wooden floor. One bag weighs 17 lbs and the other 18 lbs. Both show images of pine and cats, and feature yellow and blue branding.
WZOLL5 / reddit

Cat litter isn’t even off limits when it comes to shrinkflation. If you usually buy the Feline Pine brand, the original version, you might not have noticed that they’ve reduced the quantity by one pound: from 18 pounds to 17.

Weed Bgon Max

Two green containers of Scotts Weed B Gon Max weed control herbicide, one 5L and one 4L, are placed side by side on a concrete floor. A yellow and white comfort wand attachment is visible on the right.
Blue_Owl_420 / reddit

In just one year, the Weed Bgon Max garden herbicide has changed its bottle size by 1 liter. That’s a lot less for the same price! The product has gone from selling you 5 liters to 4 liters. And your garden still needs the same amount of this herbicide. There’s a plague in this world, but it’s not in your garden, it’s in the supermarkets and their shrinkflation.

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Orange Juice

Bottles of 100% pure orange juice with pulp are displayed on a store shelf. The yellow bottles are labeled 1.54 L and 1.36 L, with price tags reading $4.48 and $4.28.
Bizzer0 / reddit

The problem with shrinkflation is that it’s almost impossible to notice you’re paying the same price for less product. Who would even look at the number of liters in a bottle of orange juice? You’re simply thirsty, you like that brand of juice, and you buy it to drink later. It’s 0.18 liters less. It’s difficult to notice, right?

SciMx Pro V-Gain

Two bags of SCI-MX Nutrition Pro V-Gain vanilla protein powder are shown. The left bag is 1.2 kg and the right bag is 900 g, both marked with yellow arrows pointing at their weight labels.
Significant-Pass-121 / reddit

It has the same packaging, the same color, the same presentation, and almost all the same values ​​except for one: the amount of product inside. SciMx’s Pro V-Gain protein blend is a plant-based protein that many people choose to improve their health, so it’s natural. The issue is that you’ve been getting less protein because they changed the quantity from 1.2 kg to 900 grams.

Clancy’s Cinnamon Churros

Two red bags of Clancy’s Cinnamon Churros, labeled "Crispy Sweet Twists," sit on a white marble table with dark cracks. Other groceries are partially visible in the background.
Practical-Sink-3987 / reddit

Don’t get mad at your child for finishing the whole package of Clancy’s Cinnamon Churros. You might wonder how it was so big, especially since they used to have leftovers for another meal. The fact is, the amount isn’t the same. They’ve varied from 6 ounces to 3 ounces but still at the same price. It might be more noticeable if you have two packages side by side, but otherwise, you might easily miss it.

Cento Cherry Pepper Spread

Close-up of two jars of hot sauce, showing their nutrition facts labels. The left label states 5 calories and 180mg sodium per serving. The right label shows 10 calories and 310mg sodium.
elweezero / reddit

It’s not just bagged packages that can deceive you; glass containers can also be subject to the same shrinkage. The Cento Cherry Pepper Spread is a clear example: where there used to be 30 grams, there are now only 15 grams for a similar price. Comparing the nutritional values ​​on the labels will leave you shocked. Will you look for more examples like this in your own pantry?

Listerine Strips Then and Now

Two Listerine Cool Mint PocketPaks containers, often mentioned in shrinkflation products discussions, sit on a wooden surface with lids open and blue mint strips visible in white plastic trays.
nick_minieri / reddit

It’s incredible to see that the Listerine packaging looks the same, almost imperceptible, but it’s not. When you buy one of these packs, while it maintains the quantity of 24 units, it’s not the same as what you get inside. You see how short the ones on the left are? Well, that’s shrinkflation.

Jiffy Seed Pots

Two stacks of Jiffy 3-inch seed starting peat pots, one pack of 12 pots and one pack of 15 pots, sit on a shelf with other gardening supplies in the background.
Silent-Composer-873 / reddit

Even when you decide to engage in such a pleasant and relaxing activity as gardening, you can’t let yourself get carried away. Jiffy pots have decided to reduce the number of pots in their packages by 3, from the previous 15. Therefore, pay attention and compare prices and quantities with other brands.

Mars Bars

Two black packaged food items with barcodes and weight labels are placed on a dark countertop. One label reads "2x34.5g = 69g" and the other "2x39.4g = 78.8g." White and beige stickers with text are visible.
benwolf 420 / reddit

The packaging hides the amount of food inside. Not only do the air-filled corners deceive you and make the product seem smaller, but the labeling itself shows the difference: you’re actually getting less product. Before, you could enjoy Mars bars with nougat and caramel in their 78.8-gram size. Now they only contain 69 grams.

Vital Strength Creatine

Two containers of Vital Strength 100% Pure Creatine, labeled “micronised monohydrate,” sit on a black countertop with a white tiled wall behind them. The containers have black lids and red and white labels.
radioactivecowz / reddit

Creatine is a powder that’s become popular because it helps you build muscle while you’re at the gym. It allows you to train harder, improve physical performance, and accelerate muscle growth. And to help you train your eyes, take a good look at the grams on Vital Strength; they used to sell 450 grams, and now they only sell 300. It’s practically imperceptible and for the same price.

Bacon

Two packages of "no name" brand bacon, one stacked above the other, both uncooked and in clear plastic wrapping with yellow labels, placed on a brown countertop.
johnvosh / reddit

You might think that companies are doing you a favor when it comes to bacon. You know bacon is one of the worst foods you can put in your body, but in reality, they’re simply trying to hide their shrinkflation. Many supermarkets have reduced the amount of bacon in their packages, from 500 grams to 375.

Ginger Shot

Two bottles of "mon fe fo" organic ginger shots with green caps and labels, containing ginger, lemon, and honey. They are placed on a wooden surface with a pink object in the background.
realeasemypsoas / reddit

A person can only be alerted in two ways that a product’s contents have changed. The first is that they notice it runs out faster than usual, and the second is that they buy the new product while still using up the previous one and see one container next to the other. This happened with Ginger Shot, which went from 60 ml to 53 ml, but because they redesigned the container, it even appears larger at first glance.

Trail Mix

A hand holds a bag of Sweet & Spicy Trail Mix in a grocery store aisle. The bag displays images of the mix and shows the net weight as 7 oz (198g), while the bag below shows 8 oz (227g).
noiseandbooze / reddit

It’s impossible to notice shrinkflation with just one item. Try looking at the packaging of trail mix, which includes toasted peanuts, butter toffee peanuts, hot Cajun corn sticks, peanuts, honey sesame sticks, and almonds. The only way to see it is to read the quantity inside, and it’s decreased by 29 grams. And yes, you’re paying the same price for a handful less trail mix.

Coffee

Two red bags of Eight O’Clock Coffee, Medium Roast, Whole Bean, labeled "The Original" and described as "Sweet, Fruity & Well-Balanced." One bag is 40 oz, and the other is 38 oz.
Procrastineddit / reddit

Coffee is often one of those treats people indulge in throughout the day, because they enjoy it, it wakes them up, and let’s face it, it’s delicious. And because you like it so much, you usually buy the larger packages, saving money by buying in bulk. However, Eight o’Clock has another plan for you, because they sell you 0.5 pounds less without you even noticing.

Q-Tips

Two boxes of Q-tips cotton swabs sit stacked on a table. The top box contains 400 swabs and the bottom box contains 500 swabs. Both boxes are blue and white with large "Q-tips" branding.
Michael212427 / reddit

Just like lip balm, which is a health-maintaining product, the same is true for Q-Tips. These small, cotton items have had their packages reduced by 100 units. Those running this company probably won’t be able to cram enough Q-Tips into their ears to mask their customer’s displeasure with the product reduction.

Pringles

Cans of Pringles chips in various flavors, including BBQ and Original, are displayed on a supermarket shelf. The cans are labeled "Party Stack" and "Format Fête" with price tags below them.
Yv_x / reddit

Even the famous Pringles potato chips have fallen victims to shrinkflation. The people stocking the shelves at this supermarket are trying to demonstrate shrinkflation to you, but they probably didn’t even realize it.

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A grocery cart filled with various Grocery Store Items, including fruit, cookies, garlic bread, salad mix, milk, a water bottle, pasta, brown rice, salad dressing, and shredded cheese inside a supermarket aisle.
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